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Geneva Today
By the People, for the People
U.N. Criticized for Repeated Condemnations of Israel
Hillel Neuer of HonestReporting discusses the politicization he has witnessed within the U.N. system.
Mar. 26, 2026 at 1:00am
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Hillel Neuer, a longtime observer of the United Nations, was interviewed by Ben Chertoff of HonestReporting to discuss his firsthand experiences confronting dictatorships and human rights abusers within the U.N. system. Neuer described the U.N. as a "hostile arena" dominated by undemocratic states that repeatedly condemn Israel, often with the complicity of Western democracies. He highlighted specific examples of the U.N.'s biases, such as holding an emergency session to pay tribute to the founder of Hamas after Israel's assassination of him.
Why it matters
Neuer's insights shed light on the structural dynamics and voting blocs within the U.N. that have led to the organization's repeated condemnations of Israel, despite Israel's status as a democratic U.S. ally. This raises questions about the U.N.'s credibility and effectiveness as a global arbiter of human rights.
The details
According to Neuer, the U.N.'s repeated condemnations of Israel are driven by the dominance of dictatorships and state sponsors of terrorism within the organization's legislative bodies, such as the U.N. General Assembly and the U.N. Human Rights Council. He noted that the 56 Muslim-majority states out of the U.N.'s 193 total members provide an "automatic majority" for resolutions targeting Israel, which are often supported by other undemocratic regimes. Neuer also criticized the U.N. bureaucracy, including the Secretary-General and heads of U.N. agencies, for their own biases against Israel.
- Neuer arrived at the U.N. in Geneva a couple of days before witnessing an emergency session of the U.N. Human Rights Commission paying tribute to Ahmed Yassin, the founder of Hamas, after Israel's assassination of him.
The players
Hillel Neuer
A longtime observer of the United Nations who has spent decades documenting, fighting, and refusing to let the world look away from the organization's biases and politicization.
Ben Chertoff
A journalist who interviewed Hillel Neuer for HonestReporting, a media watchdog organization focused on fair coverage of Israel.
António Guterres
The current Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Ahmed Yassin
The founder of Hamas, a Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization, who was assassinated by Israel.
What they’re saying
“It's not pleasant to walk into a room where you look around and it's being run by dictators and state sponsors of terrorism, or those who are complicit-those who may be democracies but, in one form or another, are complicit.”
— Hillel Neuer
“The Orwellian nature of the body was manifest right from the beginning. The moment you walked in, you saw who the members were, whether it was China, Cuba or Sudan. Gaddafi's representative had been chair of the Commission a year before I came. So everyone kind of knew that it was a joke.”
— Hillel Neuer
The takeaway
Neuer's firsthand account highlights the deep-seated biases and structural dynamics within the U.N. system that have led to its repeated condemnations of Israel, undermining the organization's credibility as an impartial arbiter of human rights on the global stage.
